Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-08
EDWIN BOOTH.
HIS EARLY HISTORY IN SACRA-
MENTO.
The Days of His First Triumphs in
This City and His Re-
turns to Ii.

The temperance of Edwin Booth in
Sacramento tonight revives historical
memories fraught with liveliest interest,
for in this city Mr.. Booth first essayed the
greatest of his characters. He was born
at Belair, Md, November, 1888, and edu-
Gated for the stage under the direction of
his father, Junius Brutus Booth, the great
tragedian. He first appeared in minor
part at the Boston Museum in 1S49. In
1851 he took his fathers place as Rich
ard III, on occasion OF the latters illness
during an engagement at the Chatham
street Theater, New York. In June, 1862,
father and son left New York for Califor-
MIA. In September, 1851, DR.. Volney
Spalding built the American Theater on ]
street. ]. B. Booth, ST.. became manager
September 19th--a refined, genial, whole
souled gentleman he was, and thor
oughly competent artist, too. Here on
August 10, 1852, J. B. Booth, ST., and Ed
win appeared in the play of The Iron
Chest J. B. Booth also appearing. They
played there until September 9th, when
! the senior Booth appeared as Richard III.
|
J. B. Booth, Jr. The season was one of pc
cuniary disaster to the manager. The
theater was burned in the greatfire of 1852.
| The Sacramento Theater was built in
1928, and opened in March. 1t was on
the west side of Third street, between l and
j. 1t is now q ruin, though used as
cheap store house In this theater ap-
peared some of the greatest lights of the
stage in the years 1853 and 1S54-such as
Ole Bull, Strakosch, Madame Anna Bishop,
Matilda Heron, Mrs. Thoman, Mrs Judah,
Walter Leman, Mrs. Sinclair (other-
wise Mrs. Edwin Forrest), f. S. Chan
daughter emily Jordan, the handsomest
woman ever on the coast to the time of
Neilsen), Barney Williams and wife, the
Chapmans and Robinsons, Sophie Edwin,
| Henry Sedley and host of others.
August 6, 1855, Edwin Booth was men,
| Der of the stock company with James
Bowling dead, Mrs. Hunt (dead), Miss
Eloise (dead), Miss Herbert, Walter NJ
Leman, Jas. Garden (dead), VIM. Mars
den, James McCabe dead, Geo. G. Spear,
Mrs Judah tdead), l.. +. Rand, f. Freder-
lick and B. Barrett. Mr.. Booth first APP
peared that season as Jack Spriggs, in
Look Before You Leap" Until May,
1856, Mr. Booth frequently appeared at the
ond and Third, in a round of varied charac-
tiers, with varying. success, and constant
progress. August II, 1856, he played
Richard III. in Sacramento, with ]. A.
Smith as Buckingham, The Sacramento
papers then said Mr.. Booth was " a promis-
| ing young actor Comedy, tragedy, farce,
ali came to his hand, and had about equal
favor. August 18th he, for the first time,
played Hamlet thereafter his greatest
character, and which has more than all
else made him famous. Walter NJ. Leman
was the Ghost and Mrs. Judah-the SPLEEN
did, kindly, lovely woman that she was
appeared as the Queen. The Sacramento
| Union the next morning said: Mr.. E.
Booth portrayed the character of the Prince
of Denmark most wildly, and in some re-
spects his acting would compare very favor
ably with that of Murdoch" From that
on he entertained Sacramentans as Malvo-
| Ito, Antipolis of Syracuse with fun-lov-
ing VIM. Barry, the inimitable comedian,
as his Dromio-alas, that heis dead), and
as policeman Bucket, when the Union
! deigned to say that :" he showed himself
genuine star" After that he appeared in
Leman's comedy, 1.-THE Millionaire" in
( the Love Chase" Masks and Faces"
- Loves Fetters," ' Jealous Wife," and as
Captain Murphy Mcguire, playing second
|
Duke of Richmond, the Duke in THE
Honeymoon" The Captain in the farce
WHO Speaks First" Albert in the Morn
| ing Call" and so on through long list,
| for the rule then was to change bills often,
and the work of an actor in those days was
something to remember. In November he
was at the Forrest, as Charles Surface and
Benedick (admission, S2), Young Marlowe,
and then appeared in other parts support
ing Catharine n. Sinclair at the Sacramento
Theater, with Henry Sedley E. N. Thayer,
| C. R. Thorne, Sr., Geo. Chapman and Mr..
McCabe In the long engagement he won
his chief laurels as Claude Melnotte con-
cernlng which the Union said: " If the
subject of this notice will but apply himself
| industriously, increasingly and persever-
ing to his profession, he will ere long
rank among the foremost of living
actors" In December he was Richard
III. to Sedley's Richmond, and after
appearing in "Still Waters Run Deep"
"Follies of Night" " The Stranger" and
The Bellies Stratagem, he made great
stroke of success as Phidias, in THE
Marble Heart and repeated it for nineteen
nights to such houses as had never before
been seen in Sacramento. Miners came
all the way from Shasta and Amador and
| El Dorado and Sierra counties 10 see him,
|
| fiocked to Sacramento to witness the re-
markable performance of the rising young
man. After the nineteenth night it was
PLAYED at intervals until January IL, 1856,
aud then, after pause fer several weeks
more. He was given benefit by the COM
pany in recognition of his genius and
| the Legislature came down from its stills
! to do him honor in testimonial. He made
"run " the same winter at the Sacra-
mento Theater. in Two Lovers and Life,
| Leman, Wheatleigh, and the Gougenheims
playing the same drama at the same time
| in opposition. At the Forrest, March LIST,
/ he appeared for Mrs. Sinclair's benefit as
| she was about to depart for the East to
conduct the second trial of her divorce
suit against Edwin Forrest. On the stage
that night were Edwin Booth, Billy Birch,
Catherine, Sinclair Sam Wells, Wheatleigh,
| George Goes, Sedley, and others, from the
plane of burnt cork to the level of tragedy
In April, 1856, the papers announced Ned
! Booth " as leading-man at the Forrest The
alter. April 18th, c. C. -Clapp, dancing
master, appeared as Hamlet and Mr.
Booth SIS the Gho t. 1t was . wonderful
and fearful permformance, on the par
of poor Clapp, who went to ruin, and on
| the second night was booted from the stage,
to the accompaniment of ancient cabbages
| ana antique vegetables SeueIaiiy- anu
amid shouts of " Ladies chain" Down
the middle - Hands across, All prom
enade" Sophie Edwin-noble and lovely
woman that she was, and an artist of the
good old school-was the Queen on that
occasion. Soon after Mr.. Booth had
splendid benefit, appearing as Hamlet, and
the Union said - His dramatic attain
ments are of high order, and there is
nothing now to hinder his onward march
10 the highest distinction in the pro-
tession.n In April he was Claude
to May Franklins Pauliae, a Sacramento
| debutante, who was soon lost in the
grand army of incompetents. Hamlet
was repeated several times and the Iron
Chestd at the Forrest, and then April
26th), as one of stock company, Mr.. Booth
opened the old Sacramento Theater, and
| for the first time appeared as 0thello, Ber-
tram and Brutus, and soon after appeared
with Rowena Granice as Shylock- In May
he was Romeo to Sophie Edwin's Juliet.
May oath he first appeared as Rlchelleu,
and succeeded so we'll that he went to San
Francisco and repeated it, and won golden
opinions there also. He soon returned to
Sacramento and appeared as the apostate
| Richelieu, and made his last appearance
here June Z. 1856, so that for ten months
he was Sacramento man essentially. be
left California 1857, going to Honolulu and
4 TO Melbourne and thence to New ork.